Old friends, new state and Harry Potter

First week in Westminster is in the books. I settled in, got a gym membership and explored the town. Today I got to see my friend Jen, we go way back and I'm so glad that she and three other girls we are good friends with will all be in Maryland in the fall (they are all a year younger and go to college throughout Md.) We grabbed lunch and did some shopping at the Towson Town Center Mall -- which will now be the mall I go to for anything I need since it has every store imaginable.

And because the girls will all be here in the fall it means I have Harry Potter fanatics to go see THIS!!!!! with in November. Needless to say I am stoked. Harry Potter has been a huge part of my childhood/teenage years and still means a lot to me today. I brought "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" with me to Maryland, so I am going to have to take a hiatus from Stieg Larrson's "Millennium" series (more on that later) to reread HP.

I think I'll set my goal for reading this summer at 12 books (I've read 4 so far). Not yet sure about a goal for the whole year, but I'm hoping to beat last year's of 27.

Which also means I need to get a library card ASAP, because books are often a little too expensive for my budget.

My new home

Wide open spaces

I am finally almost 100 percent moved into my apartment. There are a few odds and ends I need like better sticky tack since my posters keep plummeting to the ground, garbage cans and a brighter lamp for the bedroom.

But so far it has come together really nicely. The bookshelves look great and I hung my Nittany Lion poster over them and put all kinds of little decorations on them -- and books, too, of course. I wish I could have brought more of my books from home to fill up the shelves, but I'll go home in mid-August for my mom's birthday and can pick up a few things I left behind.

The complex is really nice, and quiet as well. It's in a residential area and has different sections. I live in Oak Hill Court. I haven't met my neighbor yet but can hear her TV softly through the walls so I'll have to be careful about playing music too loud.

I have a balcony looking onto a grassy area and neighborhoods, which is nice. There are families across the street with kids who where playing and running around yesterday. There are a lot of people around, walking their dogs and jogging -- so it makes me feel safe.

I need to get some more art for the walls -- I'm not used to so much empty space! There's also an empty spot where a dining room table should go. I might use some of my first paycheck to by a small table and chair to make it look less empty. The apartment is bigger than what I am used to, especially since I am living by myself.

I also have to give a big shout out to my parents, aunt Kathy, uncle Tom and cousins for making the move in less hectic. They were all so great about everything -- even the dresser from hell which had useless directions and is still not quite working properly (never buy a dresser from Wal-mart!)

My parents worked very hard and were great about getting me furniture, a flat screen TV and anything I would need to be comfortable here. But I can't wait to get paid, relieve that burden from them and become financially independent.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day! I think I'll enjoy the sunshine and sit in the grass outside and read, then do a little shopping and clean up the rest of the apartment.

[I'll post some photos this evening!!!]

Tomorrow!

Leaving at 9 a.m. for Maryland. For now I am just trying to finish the last of the packing I have to do. So, so sick of packing!!! I'll be glad to settle into my apartment and no longer have to live out of suitcases and boxes.

I probably won't have Internet for a while, so you can reach me by Twitter (ramonesgirl212) or through my cell phone.

Let a new journey begin!


I Can Go the Distance
[I listened to this song religiously before going to PSU, so it seems appropriate before I head to another new place.]

(Also, what do you think of this blog? Is it too personal? Boring? Let me know your thoughts!! Especially since I'm not even sure who actually is reading this...)

Everybody's got a different story

I'm really not good at staying with blogs. I create them and then forget about them. But here's another attempt. Because this time I'm not picking a specific theme for this blog. I'll soon be on an adventure and I don't know where it will lead me, so this blog has no direction.

With just three weeks until my college graduation there's so much going on in my head that I want to put into words -- and this will be my release of all those thoughts and feelings.

I have a job lined up in Maryland at the Carroll County Times. And people keep asking me if I am excited. And I am. But, it's terrifying. Maybe if I didn't have so much here to leave behind I wouldn't be terrified. This place has become so much a part of me. Penn State has been my home for only four years, but I feel like I have been here for forever. Despite the beauty and wonder of this place, what I don't want to leave behind the most is the people. My friends, my family. And also the Collegian -- my third home.

This blog will follow my adventures into the the real world. There is so much I'm scared to leave behind, but there is also so much ahead of me. In seven weeks I will be on my own. And while I'll never be ready to leave Penn State, I think I'm ready for the real world.